Hybrid system and method for reading indicia

ABSTRACT

An indicia-reading system is provided that incorporates a hybrid approach to decoding indicia such as barcodes. An indicia-capturing subsystem acquires information about indicia within the indicia-capturing subsystem&#39;s field of view. An indicia-decoding module decodes indicia information acquired by the indicia-capturing subsystem. The indicia-decoding module includes a primary, basic signal processor for initially decoding indicia information, and a secondary, advanced signal processor for decoding indicia information that is not decoded by the primary, basic signal processor.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to indicia readers, such as barcodereaders. More specifically, the present invention relates to a hybridsystem and method for reading indicia employing programmable-logicsignal processing or software signal processing, or both.

BACKGROUND

Indicia readers, such as barcode scanners, are typically configured toacquire information from indicia and then decode that information foruse in data systems. Advanced signal processing techniques beneficiallyaid in the decoding of indicia in circumstances where the signalrepresenting the indicia information is outside of the nominal range.For example, reading indicia positioned at a greater distance from theindicia reader tends to increase signal interference and decrease signalstrength. In such instances, greater processing power is typicallyneeded to successfully decode insignia information. Although theadvanced signal processing techniques, such as advanced computersoftware algorithms, often achieve improved decoding results, they canunnecessarily complicate and delay processing of signals acquired undermore mundane circumstances.

Therefore, a need exists for an insignia reader capable of decoding morecomplex indicia information signals without sacrificing performance indecoding less complex signals.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, in one aspect, the present invention embraces a system forreading indicia, such as barcodes. The indicia-reading system includesan indicia-capturing subsystem for acquiring information about indiciawithin the indicia-capturing subsystem's field of view. Theindicia-reading system also includes an indicia-decoding module. Theindicia-decoding module is configured for decoding indicia informationacquired by the indicia-capturing subsystem. The indicia-decoding moduleincludes a primary, basic signal processor for initially decodingindicia information. The indicia-decoding module also includes asecondary, advanced signal processor for decoding indicia informationthat is not decoded by the primary signal processor.

In one exemplary embodiment, the indicia-capturing subsystem isconfigured to acquire information about barcode symbols within theindicia-capturing subsystem's field of view.

In another exemplary embodiment, the indicia-capturing subsystem is animaging subsystem for capturing images within the imaging subsystem'sfield of view.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the indicia-capturing subsystem isa laser scanning subsystem for scanning indicia within the laserscanning subsystem's field of view.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the primary, basic signal processorincludes a programmable controller.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the secondary, advanced signalprocessor includes a computer processor in communication with anassociated memory.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the secondary, advanced signalprocessor includes a computer processor in communication with anassociated memory, wherein the memory stores software configured todecode indicia information.

In another aspect, the present invention embraces a method for readingindicia. Information about indicia is acquired, and then the indiciainformation is decoded by (i) attempting to decode the indiciainformation via a primary, basic signal processor, and (ii) if theprimary, basic signal processor cannot decode the indicia information,then the indicia information is decoded via a secondary, advanced signalprocessor.

In another aspect, the present invention embraces an indicia-readingmethod in which information about indicia is acquired. The indiciainformation is decoded by attempting to decode the indicia informationvia a primary, basic signal processor while substantially simultaneouslyattempting to decode the indicia information via a secondary, advancedsignal processor. The substantially simultaneous decoding attemptscontinue until the indicia information is successfully decoded.

The foregoing illustrative summary, as well as other exemplaryobjectives and/or advantages of the invention, and the manner in whichthe same are accomplished, are further explained within the followingdetailed description and its accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary indicia-readingsystem according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary indicia-reading methodaccording to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention embraces a system for reading indicia. The termindicia is intended to refer broadly to various types ofmachine-readable indicia, including barcodes, QR codes, matrix codes, 1Dcodes, 2D codes, RFID tags, characters, etc. The indicia are typicallygraphical representations of information (e.g., data) such as productnumbers, package tracking numbers, or personnel identification numbers.The use of indicia readers to input data into a system, rather thanmanual data entry, results in generally faster and more reliable dataentry. The indicia-reading system may embrace various kinds of devicesused to read indicia, such as handheld barcode scanners, fixed-positionomni-directional barcode scanners, pen-type readers, laser scanners, CCDreaders, imaging scanners, and mobile devices like smartphones that areequipped to read indicia, and similar devices. The indicia-readingsystem according to the present invention embraces a hybrid approach todecoding indicia. An initial attempt(s) is made to decode the indiciausing less sophisticated, but faster, decoding technology. If theinitial attempt(s) is unsuccessful, the system employs moresophisticated technology to decode the indicia.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary indicia-reading system 100, whichincludes an indicia-capturing subsystem 110. The indicia-capturingsubsystem 110 acquires information about indicia within theindicia-capturing subsystem's 110 field of view. Typically, an object112 that bears one or more indicia is placed within the field of view ofthe indicia-capturing subsystem 110. Alternatively, theindicia-capturing subsystem 110 is manipulated to reposition the fieldof view to include the object 112 bearing the indicia.

In some instances, the indicia-capturing subsystem 110 is a laserscanning subsystem that sweeps a light beam (e.g., a laser beam) acrossthe field of view, and then receives the optical signals that reflect orscatter off the indicia. Typically, the optical signal is received usinga photoreceptor (e.g., photodiode), and is converted into an electricalsignal. The electrical signal is an electronic representation of theindicia information (e.g., the data represented by the indicia). When inthe form of an electrical signal, this information can be processed(e.g., decoded) by the system 100.

In other instances, the indicia-capturing subsystem 110 is an imagingsubsystem. The imaging subsystem captures digital images of objects 112within the subsystem's field of view. When the indicia information takesthe form of a digital image, the indicia information is typicallyprocessed through the use of image-processing software (e.g. 1D barcode, 2D bar code, postal code, and/or optical character recognition(OCR) decoding technology), which can both identify the presence ofindicia in the digital image and decode the indicia. Therefore,references herein to electrical signals are intended broadly to alsoencompass digital images capable of being processed electronically(e.g., via an image-processing computer processor).

The indicia-reading system 100 according to the present invention mayalso include an indicia-decoding module 120. The indicia-decoding module120 is configured to decode indicia information (e.g., electrical signalor digital image) acquired by the indicia-capturing subsystem 110. Theindicia-decoding module includes a primary, basic signal processor 125.The primary, basic signal processor 125 is employed to make an initialattempt(s) at decoding the indicia information. Typically, the primary,basic signal processor 125 is configured to process the indiciainformation quickly. Typically, the primary, basic signal processor 125is a programmable controller (e.g., programmable logic controller).Although a programmable controller may have limited signal-processingcapabilities compared with more complex systems, a programmablecontroller's fast response time makes it suitable for this initialdecoding attempt. In addition, because the system 100 does not rely onthe primary, basic signal processor 125 to implement complexsignal-processing methods, the configuration of the primary, basicsignal processor 125 is relatively simple and less costly tomanufacture.

Typically, the primary, basic signal processor 125 (e.g., programmablecontroller) is configured to process indicia information that isrelatively simple to interpret. In other words, the primary, basicsignal processor 125 handles general, fairly benign signal processing.For example, in the case of a system 100 incorporating a laser-scanningsubsystem, the programmable controller would be responsible forproviding general signal processing by generating edge lists forimmediate decoding.

Although the primary, basic signal processor 125 is typically sufficientto decode the indicia information in about 70 percent to 80 percent ofthe system's 100 operating range, the remaining 20 percent to 30 percentof use cases require more complex signal processing. For example, whenan indicia reader is attempting to read indicia positioned relativelyfar from the indicia-capturing subsystem 110, the optical signal can becompromised (e.g., through signal interference, signal loss), therebyincreasing the difficulty in decoding the acquired indicia information.Similarly, when an indicia reader is attempting to read indiciapositioned relatively near the indicia-capturing subsystem 110, theoptical signal may be much more intense (e.g., powerful) than istypically encountered, thereby requiring additional, more complexprocessing to decode. Consequently, there are typically certaininstances (e.g., edge cases, corner cases) where the signal-decodingperformance of the primary, basic signal processor 125 is insufficientto successfully decode indicia information.

To handle indicia information that cannot be successfully decoded by theprimary, basic signal processor 125, the system 100 according to thepresent invention typically incorporates a secondary, advanced signalprocessor 130. Typically, the secondary, advanced signal processor 130is capable of executing more advanced signal-processing algorithms thanthe primary, basic signal processor 125 is capable of performing.Typically, the secondary, advanced signal processor 130 includes acomputer processor in communication (e.g., electronic communication)with an associated memory (e.g., non-volatile computer-readable memory).More typically, the secondary, advanced signal processor 130 includes acomputer processor in communication with an associated memory, whereinthe memory stores software configured to decode indicia information(e.g., signal-processing software). The computer processor is configuredto execute the instructions of the signal-processing software. It willbe appreciated by a person of ordinary skill in the art that theincorporation of signal-processing software advantageously allows forrelatively quick development, and for the designing of complex signalprocessing algorithms. Moreover, signal-processing software typicallycan be readily modified to achieve improved signal-processing results,and such modifications can often be implemented in the field (e.g.,through system updates). The increased decoding power and flexibilityoffered by the secondary, advanced signal processor 130, however,typically comes at the cost of increased processing time. The advancedalgorithms employed by the secondary, advanced signal processor 130typically require complex calculations and data manipulation thatrequire much more time to execute than do the functions of the typicalprimary, basic signal processor 125 (e.g., programmable controller). Theuser experiences this increased processing time as a lag between thetime the user initiates a scan (e.g., by triggering the device) and thetime that the indicia is decoded.

Because the secondary, advanced signal processor 130 typically takeslonger to process indicia information than does the primary, basicsignal processor, greater usability can be achieved by employing thesystem's hybrid approach to decoding indicia information. Moreparticularly, the system 100 according to the present invention isusually configured to first attempt to decode indicia information usingthe primary, basic signal processor 125. Depending on the specificconfiguration of the system 100, which may be set at the factory and/orbe adjusted by the user, the primary, basic signal processor 125 maymake one or more attempts at decoding the indicia information. If theprimary, basic signal processor 125 is unable to decode the indiciainformation, then the secondary, advanced signal processor 130 attemptsto decode the indicia information. When the indicia information (e.g.,electrical signal) is passed to the secondary, advanced signal processor130, it may be in its original form, or it may be pre-processed by theprimary, basic signal processor 125 into a form that can be more readilydecoded by the secondary, advanced signal processor 130.

Alternatively, indicia information may be received by both the primary,basic signal processor 125 and the secondary, advanced signal processor130 substantially simultaneously so that the primary, basic signalprocessor 125 and the secondary, advanced signal processor 130 may eachattempt to decode the indicia information in parallel. It will beappreciated by a person of ordinary skill in the art that “substantiallysimultaneously” in this context means that the two processing sequencesbegin and/or end less than several milliseconds from each other. In thisparallel arrangement, if the primary, basic signal processor 125 is ableto decode the indicia information before the secondary, advanced signalprocessor 130 can decode the indicia information, the secondary,advanced signal processor 130 interrupts its processing to await receiptof the next indicia information. For example, the primary, basic signalprocessor 125 may send an instruction (e.g., an interrupt) to thesecondary, advanced signal processor 125 directing it to ceaseattempting to decode the current indicia information. Conversely, if thesecondary, advanced signal processor 130 successfully decodes theindicia information before the primary, basic signal processor 125completes the decoding process, then the primary, basic signal processor125 interrupts its decoding process and awaits receipt of the nextindicia information for decoding. It will be appreciated by a person ofordinary skill in the art that both the primary, basic signal processor125 and the secondary, advanced signal processor 130 may besoftware-based or hardware-based signal processors.

In an exemplary embodiment, the system 100 may be configured to initiateprocessing of indicia information by the secondary, advanced signalprocessor 130 only when a certain precondition(s) is satisfied. Forexample, the system 100 may be configured to utilize the secondary,advanced signal processor 130 only when a certain number of scans (e.g.,laser sweeps, image processing attempts) have been performed (e.g.,three scans). In this example, the system 100 makes three attempts toacquire indicia information and decode the indicia information. Theseinitial three attempts are made by the primary, basic signal processor125. If any one of these first three scans results in a successfuldecoding of the indicia information, the signal processing ceases, theresults of the decoding are reported, and the system 100 resets andawaits the initiation of a subsequent decoding request (e.g., by theuser activating a trigger). If, however, the first three scans do notresult in a successful decoding of the indicia information, the system100 switches over the signal-processing duties to the secondary,advanced signal processor 130. For all subsequent scans, the secondary,advanced signal processor 130 will continue to attempt to decode theindicia information until it reaches a predefined scan limit, whereuponit will report a scan failure. In this way, the indicia-decoding module120 seeks first to decode indicia information using the faster primary,basic signal processor 125. In the majority (e.g., 70 percent to 80percent) of operating scenarios, this approach will result in fasterdecoding because there is no time wasted on unnecessarily complicatedsignal-processing algorithms that are only needed in unusualcircumstances (e.g., edge cases, corner cases). In those operatingscenarios requiring greater signal processing capabilities to achievesuccessful decoding of indicia information, the system 100 retains thecapability of calling upon the more sophisticated secondary, advancedsignal processor 130 when needed. The result is a system 100 havingindicia-decoding properties at least as great as similar readers, butfeaturing improved response time under most operating conditions.

Referring now to FIG. 2, in another aspect, the invention embraces anindicia-reading method 200. Indicia information is acquired 210.Typically, indicia information will include electrical signals convertedfrom optical signals, or it will include a digital image of an objectbearing indicia. Typically, indicia information is acquired by anindicia-capturing subsystem (e.g., imaging subsystem, laser scanningsubsystem). The acquired indicia information is decoded (e.g., read) byattempting to decode the indicia information via a primary, basic signalprocessor. If the primary, basic signal processor cannot decode theindicia (e.g., within a predetermined number of scan attempts), then theacquired indicia information is decoded via a secondary, advanced signalprocessor 220.

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In the specification and/or figures, typical embodiments of theinvention have been disclosed. The present invention is not limited tosuch exemplary embodiments. The use of the term “and/or” includes anyand all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Thefigures are schematic representations and so are not necessarily drawnto scale. Unless otherwise noted, specific terms have been used in ageneric and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An indicia-reading system, comprising: anindicia-capturing subsystem for acquiring information about an indiciawithin the indicia-capturing subsystem's field of view; and anindicia-decoding module configured for decoding the indicia informationacquired by the indicia-capturing subsystem, the indicia-decoding modulecomprising (i) a primary, basic signal processor for initiallyprocessing the indicia information for decoding and (ii) a secondary,advanced signal processor for processing the indicia information fordecoding if the primary, basic signal processor does not successfullydecode the indicia information; wherein the indicia-reading system hasan operating range; wherein the primary, basic signal processor isconfigured to decode the indicia information if the indicia informationwas obtained with the indicia-reading system operating within a portionof the operating range; wherein the indicia-decoding module isconfigured for initiating an attempt to decode the indicia informationvia the secondary, advanced signal processor in response to failure ofthe primary, basic signal processor to decode the indicia informationdue to anomalies in the indicia information caused by signalinterference and/or signal strength, comprising the indicia-decodingmodule being configured so that the advanced signal processor receivespre-processed indicia information from the primary, basic signalprocessor when the primary, basic signal processor fails to decode theindicia information; wherein the secondary, advanced signal processor isconfigured for executing a more complex signal-processing algorithm thanthe primary, basic signal processor; and wherein the secondary, advancedsignal processor is configured for decoding indicia information thatcannot be decoded by the primary, basic signal processor due toanomalies in the indicia information caused by signal interferenceand/or signal strength.
 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein theindicia-capturing subsystem is configured to acquire information aboutbarcode symbols within the indicia-capturing subsystem's field of view.3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the indicia-capturingsubsystem is an imaging subsystem for capturing images within theimaging subsystem's field of view.
 4. The system according to claim 1,wherein the indicia-capturing subsystem is a laser scanning subsystemfor scanning indicia within the laser scanning subsystem's field ofview.
 5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the primary, basicsignal processor comprises a programmable controller.
 6. The systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the secondary, advanced signal processorcomprises a computer processor in communication with an associatedmemory.
 7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the secondary,advanced signal processor comprises a computer processor incommunication with an associated memory, wherein the memory storessoftware configured to decode indicia information.
 8. An indicia-readingmethod, comprising: acquiring, by an indicia-reading system, informationabout indicia, the indicia-reading system having an operating range;attempting to decode the indicia information via a primary, basic signalprocessor of the indicia-reading system, wherein the primary, basicsignal processor is configured to decode the indicia information if theindicia information was obtained with the indicia-reading systemoperating within a portion of the operating range; failing, by theprimary, basic signal processor, to decode the indicia information dueto anomalies in the indicia information caused by signal interferenceand/or signal strength; and then, responsive to the primary, basicsignal processor failing to decode the indicia information, initiatingan attempt to decode the indicia information via a secondary, advancedsignal processor of the indicia-reading system, comprising thesecondary, advanced signal processor receiving pre-processed indiciainformation from the primary, basic signal processor, and successfullydecoding the indicia information via the secondary, advanced signalprocessor; wherein the secondary, advanced signal processor isconfigured for executing a more complex signal-processing algorithm thanthe primary, basic signal processor; and wherein the secondary, advancedsignal processor is configured for decoding indicia information thatcannot be decoded by the primary, basic signal processor due toanomalies in the indicia information caused by signal interferenceand/or signal strength.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the indiciainformation is acquired by an indicia-capturing subsystem.
 10. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the indicia-capturing subsystem comprises animaging subsystem for capturing images within the imaging subsystem'sfield of view.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the indicia-capturingsubsystem comprises a laser scanning subsystem for scanning indiciawithin the laser scanning subsystem's field of view.
 12. The methodaccording to claim 8, wherein the primary, basic signal processorcomprises a programmable controller.
 13. The method according to claim8, wherein the secondary, advanced signal processor comprises a computerprocessor in communication with an associated memory.
 14. The methodaccording to claim 8, wherein the secondary, advanced signal processorcomprises a computer processor in communication with an associatedmemory, wherein the memory stores software configured to decode indiciainformation.